Changing of the Guard
by aachannoichi
Summary: Chief Irons has gone out of the country for a three-week vacation. Before he leaves, he puts Captain Albert Wesker in charge of the entire Raccoon City Police Force.


Changing of the Guard

Captain Wesker slowly made his way to Chief Iron's office. He despised anything having to do with Chief Irons. The Chief was a repulsive, odious, paltry fellow whose lone function in life was to dominate others and completely extinguish their spirit. Everyone at headquarters lived in mortal fear of his outbursts and temper tantrums; everyone that is, except for Captain Wesker. Captain Wesker was the only one who could genuinely stare through him and say any acerbic statement without having to worry about being severely reprimanded or fired from a much-needed job. His position with Umbrella made him the only person on the police force that was completely untouchable- this was something which irritated the Chief to no end, and Captain Wesker not only knew it exasperated him, but also delighted in flaunting his power over the chief.

Stopping at the outer door of Chief Iron's office, Captain Wesker knocked sternly.

"Come in." Chief Iron's grumbled.

Captain Wesker turned the knob and walked into the Chief's office. Wesker abhorred this office. It was an homage to how twisted and sadistic the chief really was. All the taxidermy animals crammed onto the walls and shelves were so tacky and loathsome, not to mention the crass artwork that hung around the office. Surely the chief's subornment funds could be spent on more worthwhile pastimes, but given how self-indulgent the chief was, Wesker doubted the chief could think of anything more than his repugnant base impulses. Wesker did not want to remain in this office let alone sit down, so he just stood near the chief's desk.

"Sit down!" The Chief commanded.

"Let's make meeting this as transitory as possible." Captain Wesker said coldly as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the chief's desk.

Chief Iron's grumbled something underneath his breath, but Captain Wesker did not wish for him to elaborate on what was said, so he let the comment slide.

"Did you get the report I forwarded to your little cronies at Umbrella?" Chief Irons questioned bitterly.

"It was received." Captain Wesker responded not changing his unemotional tone.

"That should keep those assholes at bay." The Chief spat. "At least while I'm gone."

"You're going somewhere?" Captain Wesker questioned not really interested in the chief's personal life, but more as a matter of note for his report to Spencer.

"Yes, I'm going on a three-week vacation." The Chief announced. "As the second most senior member of RPD one of your duties is to oversee my office while I'm gone."

Captain Wesker did not say anything.

"Everything is already done." The Chief continued ignoring the brief silence. "The only thing you need to do is sit back and feel your ass grow in my chair."

Captain Wesker still said nothing, partly because there was nothing to say to the base comment, the other part was him being mildly repulsed to think of sitting in a chair that has probably partaken some extremely distasteful activities.

"So!?" Chief Irons practically yelled.

"So, what?" Captain Wesker calmly reversed the question.

"So, are you prepared to do my job for three weeks?!" He still half screamed.

"A half-witted orangutan could perform your duties with minimal exertion." Captain Wesker said shrewdly.

"You are truly an ass Wesker." Chief Irons grumbled.

Captain Wesker smirked at the comment, but did not bother to trade insults any further.

"When am I to take over your duties Brian?" Captain Wesker asked unashamedly referring to the Chief by his first name, which was something Chief Irons truly despised.

"I'm leaving today." Chief Irons said trying to conceal his ever-rising irritation. "My flight takes off at 5 PM, but I want to check in early, so you'll be in charge starting at noon."

"Very well." Captain Wesker said. "Is that all?"

"Yeah, I guess." The Chief grumbled.

"So, what debauched sex tourism hovel will you be crawling into this year?" Captain Wesker asked as he pushed himself away from the desk.

Chief Iron's was furious at the question. It was bad enough he had to play host to this bastard, but he hated knowing that this Umbrella lapdog knew all his secrets and abnormal proclivities, but if he was going to continue receiving coffers from Umbrella's endless pockets he had to swallow the bitter pill that was Captain Albert Wesker.

"If you must know I'm going to Manila." Chief Irons declared. "Not that it's any of your concern!"

Captain Wesker snorted derisively, because he was right about the sex tourism portion of his comment; the Chief sneered.

"Just so we understand each other Wesker." The Chief said angrily. "It's not any of yours or Umbrella's business where I go or what I do in my free time."

"Oh, but it is." Captain Wesker said with his baritone voice growing even colder in tone than before. "If your depraved antics cause any problems for Umbrella, we wouldn't hesitate to implicate you as the primary conspirator in those dealings."

"Yes, I know." The Chief said angrily. "I am merely a tool of Umbrella. It's the only way we are alike."

"I may be an instrument of Umbrella." Captain Wesker countered. "But do not forget that some tools are more expendable than others. Never forget your place in the shed Brian."

Chief Irons was now so furious that he was shaking, his face had grown bright red, and a large vein protruded from his forehead. He so desperately wanted to throttle the life out of Captain Wesker, but he knew he couldn't. He was unaccustomed to being treated like a schnook. He was the Chief of the Raccoon City Police Department; hell, he held a lot of power throughout Raccoon City. Everyone, including the mayor, lived in fear of him, as they should. So, to have some asshole spy come in and treat him in such a coarse undignified manor… There would be hell to pay.

Something would have to be done about Captain Wesker, however the plot to remove him would have to wait. His vacation was close at hand and Chief Irons could take consolation that at least he wouldn't have to deal with Captain Wesker for a few weeks.

"I assume we are done now." Wesker said snidely as he turned and headed for the door.

"I fully expect you up here at noon Wesker!" Chief Irons screamed. "If I have to come and get you…"

Before the chief could scream out his idle threat, Captain Wesker slipped out the door and made his way through the corridor of the chief's antechamber. Walking into the main hallway, he made his way past the chief's secretary's desk.

"Good morning Captain Wesker." The young lady said blushing.

"Good morning." He responded kindly. "May I ask your name?"

"It's Sarah." The young woman said softly. "Sarah Bartlett."

"Well Miss Bartlett," Captain Wesker began. "I will be standing in for the chief while he is away on vacation."

"Yes, Captain Wesker." She said her face turning even more crimson than before.

"Chief Iron's office isn't exactly my style." He said. "I doubt I will be spending much time in there. Is there a way to route calls from his office down to my phone in the S.T.A.R.S. office?"

"Of course, Captain Wesker." Sarah answered eager to please Captain Wesker.

"Thank you, Miss Bartlett." He said kindly. "I will be up here twice a day to check on things, but otherwise all calls should be forwarded to my phone in the S.T.A.R.S. office."

"Yes, Captain Wesker." She said happily.

"It must be difficult being secretary to a man like Chief Irons?" He whispered to her.

"Yes, it can be very difficult most days." She said with her dark brown eyes looking away from Wesker and down at her desk.

"Then it will be a nice vacation for you as well." He said softly as he prepared to exit the secretary station. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me."

"Yes, Captain Wesker."

A short while later, Captain Wesker made his way back down to the S.T.A.R.S. office. He stepped inside and headed straight for his desk at the back of the office. Barry greeted him as he sat down.

"What did the Chief want?" He questioned.

"Apparently, our Chief is going on vacation and I am to take over his duties while he is away." Wesker said calmly.

"The entire police force?" Barry questioned.

"Yes Barry." Wesker replied emotionlessly. "The entire police force."

"Isn't that going to be difficult Wesker?" Chris turned around and asked Wesker. "I mean there are about 2500 police officers in Raccoon City, then there's HQ, and the three substations around town?"

"No worries Chris." Wesker said calmly. "I have the situation under complete control."

"I guess you'll be up in his office all day." Brad said as he swung around in his com center chair to face Wesker.

"No, I won't." Captain Wesker replied. "I already spoke to the secretary up there and she informed me that all calls can be routed down here. I would hate to waste my day away in that appalling office."

"Yeah." Chris said. "He has that whole postmodern sadist look going on up there, I can't blame you for not wanting to spend a day alone in that place. Just thinking about his office gives me the creeps."

"Indeed." Wesker said.

"So how are we going to conduct our operations?" Barry asked.

"More than likely I will leave the daily training to you Barry." Wesker said as he began to type on his computer. "The In-service I had planned for next Wednesday will have to be postponed. Thankfully we are in-between investigations currently and as far as I know I'm not needed to testify in court during the time the chief will be away. So overall, I don't intend for our daily operations to change very much over the next three weeks. There is a very high probability I may be indisposed during the day, but you are more than capable of handling things in my stead Barry."

Barry nodded his head then walked over to his desk and sat down. Meanwhile, Wesker drafted a quick email to Enrico informing him of what was taking place over the next few weeks, also sending a blind carbon copy to Sir Spencer so he too would be made aware of the change in schedule. Once the message was finished and sent, Wesker sent another email directly to Sir Spencer, stating that while he was in charge of the Raccoon City Police Force, he would not be taking off to meet with him as they have done every Monday over the last year.

The morning passed fairly quickly and before Wesker knew it, it was just about noon- time to head back up to the Chief's office and bid him a fond farewell, but in the form of devious invectives. Taking his time just to further agitate the Chief one last time before his trip, Captain Wesker sauntered as he made his way to Iron's office. He even engaged in a short conversation with a few of the higher-ranking officers as he made his way. After about ten minutes of lollygagging, Wesker knocked firmly on Chief Iron's door, but there was no answer. Wesker knocked again, but there was still no reply, so he grabbed the office door and walked in. Taking a quick glance around, Wesker noticed that the chief was not here, but there was a note left on the desk addressed to Wesker.

" _Typical_." Wesker mumbled under his breath not speaking to any one in particular.

Captain Wesker grabbed for the envelope and opened up to find a short letter on the inside, which read.

Wesker,

I left HQ around 11:30, I trust there won't be any pressing matters until you take over at noon. If you need me I'll be at the airport.

Chief Irons

Crumpling up the little memo, Wesker tossed the ball into a nearby trash can and thought it was for the best that the Chief left early. He detested looking at the man's grubby face. While it would have been slightly amusing to torment him before his vacation, he did not relish being around him, even if it was for a few short moments. Nevertheless, with the Chief gone for three weeks, he figured the tense air manufactured by Irons would relax in his absence. Wesker had no plans to run the Raccoon City Police force by use of domination and coercions. His leadership style was more relaxed and he intended to let the low-ranking officers and their commanders complete their duties without interference and only intervene when absolutely necessary.

Wesker turned away from the desk and thought for a moment about what his next move should be. More than likely he should have a meeting with all the department heads, sergeants, and the head of the police union to get acquainted with some of the ones he was not familiar with, in addition to making everyone aware that the chief was now away and if they needed anything they could depend on him. Taking one last quick glance around to see if there were any other memos he needed to be aware of- after finding nothing of use, Wesker made his way back to the secretary's station.

"Hello again Captain Wesker." Miss Bartlett said automatically blushing.

"Hello Miss Bartlett." He said kindly. "I need you to convene a meeting in the library with all the department heads, sergeants, and Daniel Griffin of the FOP."

"Do you want me to call the nightshift ones too?" She questioned.

"No," He said sternly. "No need to disturb them, just the ones who are already here will suffice."

"What time would you like to have this meeting?" Miss Bartlett asked.

"1:30." He replied sternly. "And if you don't mind, call Goldman's Deli on the east side of Flower Street, ask for Lori and tell her I would like to order ten foot-long sandwiches; two ham, two pastrami, two turkey, two Italian style, one cheese, and one vegetable. Also order an assortment soft drinks, and 3 gallons of Colombian Supremo coffee with the decadent cream collection."

Reaching into his back pocket and grabbing his leather wallet, Capt. Wesker pulled out a Raccoon City Bank credit card and handed it to the young secretary while she wrote down everything that the Captain wanted to order.

"Tell them it's for Doctor Captain Wesker, Lori will handle it from there." He said shoving his wallet back into his uniform pocket. "Also, charge it to the Special Tactics And Rescue Service card."

"Doctor Captain?" Miss Bartlett questioned.

"It's an inside joke between us." He said sternly.

Miss Bartlett looked at him strangely.

"I have three doctorates and I'm the captain of S.T.A.R.S." He said clarifying the statement.

"Oh wow." She said sounding astonished to hear how educated the Captain of the S.T.A.R.S. was. "That is amazing."

Wesker smiled and walked down to where the library was to prepare for the meeting with the others. About an hour and a half later, all the requested department heads, sergeants, and the head of Raccoon City's Fraternal Order of Police arrived to the library. Each of them we astonished to see the spread sprawled out before them. Greeting them all, Captain Wesker instructed them on grabbing a bite to eat before beginning. Once everyone was settled, Wesker took his place in the front of the room.

"Good afternoon everyone." He began. "I hope you all have enjoyed the little lunch I prepared?"

"Delicious!" A man's voice called out from the back of the room.

"Yeah this is great!" Another chimed in.

"Best spread ever!" A third said.

"I'm glad." Captain Wesker said kindly. "I have called this meeting because Chief Irons has gone away on vacation for three weeks. He will be out of the country and I will be taking over for him during his leave."

Everyone in the room was surprised to hear the news, as the Chief did not make his plans known beforehand.

"If there is anything you need, I can be found in the S.T.A.R.S. office throughout the day." He continued. "If you need to call, my extension is 160 or if it's an emergency after hours, call my cellular phone at 767-821-7621. Any questions?"

A man stood up.

"Yes." Wesker said. "Please introduce yourself."

"Hey Captain Wesker." The man said. "I'm Sarg. Peter Baxter of Vice. What are your hours going to be? The Chief comes in at 10 or 10:30 and leaves around 5 PM."

"Generally speaking, I get into HQ by 6:00 AM." Captain Wesker said. "And I leave a little after 8:00 PM. I'll still come in by 6, but I'll be leaving HQ at 10 PM."

"Ok." Peter said. "Thanks Captain."

"You're welcome." He replied. "Anyone else?"

"Yeah Captain?" Another man stood up and spoke. "Michael Oakwood, head of the Larceny division. If we have a problem with something, should we figure it out ourselves?"

"It would depend on what the circumstance was." Captain Wesker answered. "If there is a dispute with a fellow officer, it should be handled within your department, but if there is a tactical, legal, or particularly challenging problem, please don't hesitate to come to me."

"Wow!" Michael said sounding very astonished. "That's a real change from the Chief. He was pretty much a hands-off kind of guy."

"You will find that my leadership style is quite a bit different from Chief Irons." Captain Wesker said sternly. "While I know I haven't had the privilege of working with most of you yet, but I hope in the time Chief Irons is gone, I will get to know you all better."

"Thanks Captain Wesker." Michael said sitting back down in his seat.

The questions from other department heads came fast and furious, but with each answer Captain Wesker gave, it satisfied everyone's questions and apprehensions. Things seemed like they would be running a little more smoothly without Chief Irons. Unexpectedly, the meeting ran for a little over an hour and over that time, everyone became a lot more comfortable with the idea of Captain Wesker being at the helm.

"Any other questions?" Captain Wesker asked.

"Afternoon Captain, Bob Callahan of the gang unit." A man said standing up. "How ya doing?"

"Good thank you." Captain Wesker said.

"I got one question." Bob began. "My department has to report to Chief Irons every Friday and I know there are several departments that have to report to him weekly too. Do you still want us to report to you?"

"Yes." Captain Wesker said. "If you report to the chief weekly, please continue to do so. I will make certain he will receive your reports when he returns."

"Fair enough." Bob said sitting down.

"Any other questions?" Wesker asked.

Everyone around the room looked to see if anyone else had questions, but no one stood up.

"If no one else has any questions we'll dismiss." Captain Wesker said. "I'll have Miss Bartlett type up and circulate a memo with all my information and if you have any questions please stop by the S.T.A.R.S. office. My door is always open."

Everyone began to stand up and start to file out of the library.

"Also, if you want to take the leftover sandwiches and things back to your departments, please feel free."

"Thanks Captain!" Several voices chimed out.

When everyone was out of the library Sarah Bartlett walked in and over to Wesker.

"How did the meeting go Captain?" She asked.

"Well." He answered. "Thank you for your assistance Miss Bartlett."

"Me?" She questioned. "I didn't do anything."

"You were kind enough to help Lori set up when she and the catering staff arrived." Wesker said.

"I was just doing my job." Sarah said blushing.

"In either case." He said kindly. "You did a fine job."

"Thank you Captain Wesker." She said happily. "I don't think I've ever been complimented by the Chief before. I can already tell this is going to be a great few weeks."

The week and a half had passed by very quickly. Life at RPD headquarters settled into a very smooth ebb and flow since Chief Irons had gone away for vacation. A type of serene normalcy had settled in at RPD. Everyone on the force seemed a lot happier at their jobs since Captain Wesker took over. Sure, there were some minor incidents that had occurred during the first few days, but Captain Wesker easily found solutions to those minor problems. That tenuous environment that Chief Irons created seemed to be nonexistent now and things were running far better than they had.

It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon, most of the S.T.A.R.S. team were off at lunch, save for Jill who was sitting at her desk quietly eating her lunch. Captain Wesker sat at his desk diligently finishing up a report recommending one of the patrol officers for a position he was seeking for the state highway patrol. Once the finishing touches on the report were complete, he set the document to the side, stood up and took a nice stretch before preparing to head out for his lunch break.

"I'll be back in a little while Jill." Captain Wesker said to her. "If anyone asks for me, I'm just going to the deli around the corner to pick up my lunch, I'll be right back."

"Yes, Captain Wesker." She answered.

Before he reached for the door, in walked Raccoon City Police Department Fraternal Order of Police Union President Daniel Griffin. Daniel was an older, tall, grizzled police officer who moved here from New York City. He still had a very thick Brooklyn accent, even though he lived in Raccoon City for fifteen years.

"Hey Captain Wesker." The man said. "Youse got a moment?"

"Yes." Captain Wesker replied. "Please step into my office."

Captain Wesker and Daniel walked to the back of the S.T.A.R.S. office, Wesker sat in his chair while Dan pulled up a chair to his desk.

"How can I help you Officer Griffin?" Wesker asked.

"The FOP and I wanted to thank you for the hard work you've put in over the last week and some change." Daniel said. "You've been a great help to all the departments."

"Thank you." Captain Wesker said waiting for him to continue.

"I also wanted to thank you for helping out with Officer Sakowitz situation." He said. "I don't know what you did or said to him but it made all the difference."

Captain Wesker didn't say anything.

"I have to know," Daniel said. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing in particular." Captain Wesker replied sternly.

"Come on, youse are bein' too modest!" Daniel exclaimed. "His partner and CO had been tryin' for weeks to get him into therapy and rehab, what did you say to get him to go?"

"As I'm sure you know, he recently lost his 19-year-old daughter to a drunk driver." Wesker said softly. "Officer Sakowitz felt like no one understood what he was going though. I told him that I lost both my parents in a drunk driving accident on the bypass about twelve years ago, so if there was anyone who would understand his situation it would be me."

Daniel was shocked into silence.

"I also told him that his partner and CO were concerned about him throwing away an otherwise exemplary law enforcement career. I told him that they didn't want to report him to Internal Affairs, but they would do so as a measure of last resort." Captain Wesker continued. "Officer Sakowitz seemed to take everything I said to heart and agreed to see the therapist. I take it he has already begun see Dr. Jacobs?"

"He has." Daniel said. "He started a few days ago. By tomorrow you should see a request for leave so he can formally start alcohol treatments."

"That's good to hear." Captain Wesker said. "I'll be sure to approve his leave as soon as I get the request. However, I don't think this is the only reason why you wanted to see me."

"You're right." Daniel said laughing. "I guess nothin' can get past you eh Captain."

Captain Wesker said nothing to the comment.

"Listen Captain Wesker," Daniel said changing to a sterner tone. "The FOP, we've been talkin' and we're fully prepared to have an emergency meeting of the union to put forth a vote of no confidence in Chief Irons and install you as the Chief of the Raccoon City Police Department."

"Really?" Captain Wesker sounding very intrigued by this new turn of events.

"Yeah!" Daniel said. "Everyone seems to agree that things have been a lot better since you took over for Irons. No one is looking forward to him coming back. So, since we have a week-and-a-half before he his vacation ends, we figured if we asked you and if you accepted, we could vote him out and get you in before he came back."

"I see." Captain Wesker replied.

"Look, youse don't have to answer now." Daniel said. "Just give it some thought and get back to me."

"Let's see." Wesker said looking at his calendar. "It's Wednesday, I'll let you know by Friday afternoon, say before 5 PM; I need to carefully weigh my options."

"Yeah that's fine Captain Wesker." Daniel said standing up getting ready to leave the S.T.A.R.S. office. "Everyone on the force was really nervous when we heard you were takin' over the department. Most of the guys didn't really know you and pretty much thought you would be worse than Chief Irons, thankfully we was all wrong about you."

"I'm pleased that I have exceeded everyone's expectations." Captain Wesker said graciously.

"Yeah me too, this has been the best time I've ever had in RPD and I've been here awhile." Daniel said cheerfully as he walked toward the office door. "Seriously though Captain Wesker, think it over. The FOP would love to have you take over. With youse runnin' the department, RPD could be the best police force in the country, ya know."

Captain Wesker shot Daniel a smirk, but didn't say anything to the comment.

"At any rate." Daniel said opening up the door. "Talk to youse on Friday."

With that Daniel left the office. Jill who had been quietly sitting at her desk eating lunch turned to Captain Wesker and asked, "The police union wants you to take over permanently?

"It appears that way." Captain Wesker answered coolly.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." He answered her back in a direct tone. "I have to admit, I am rather surprised and intrigued by their offer."

"Would you want to be Chief of Police Captain Wesker?" Jill asked.

"I'm asking myself that very question Jill." Wesker answered.

"I know you'll make an excellent Chief." Jill said. "I just don't know if I want anyone else running S.T.A.R.S. or being Alpha Team leader."

"Really?" He questioned.

"You are an excellent leader." Jill said. "S.T.A.R.S. wouldn't be the same without you."

"I see." He said contemplatively. "Well, I will keep what you've said in mind."

Jill nodded.

"And Jill." Captain Wesker said.

"Yes Wesker?" Jill said.

"Can we keep this information between us?" He asked.

"Your secret is safe with me Wesker." Jill said with a smile.

"Thank you, Jill." He said. "Well, I'm heading out, I'll be back shortly."

"Sure thing Wesker."

Captain Wesker quickly made his way out of headquarters and to the deli a short distance away. Before he stepped into the small building, he pulled out his cell phone and made a call to Umbrella headquarters. Putting in the extension, Captain Wesker waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"Hello this is Oswell Spencer."

"Hello Mr. Spencer." Wesker said. "This is Albert Wesker."

"Hello Albert." Mr. Spencer said happily. "How are you today?"

"Very well thank you for asking." He said. "How are you Mr. Spencer?"

"I'm good." Mr. Spencer replied. "I wasn't expecting your call today. Has something happened?"

"In a manner of speaking." Wesker said. "It appears that the police union wants to convene an emergency meeting."

"Is it anything we should be concerned about?" Mr. Spencer asked.

"They want to vote out Irons and appoint me to his position." Wesker said sternly.

"Really?!" Mr. Spencer said happily. "Are you thinking about taking the position?"

"I'm mulling over my options." Wesker said candidly. "However, I value whatever opinion you may have Mr. Spencer."

"Well." Mr. Spencer said happily contemplating all the options. "I can say if you became the Chief of the Raccoon City Police Department it would a huge benefit for Umbrella. We wouldn't have to pay the current head of RPD anymore. You would have more access to cases that could possibly involve Umbrella and be better able to thwart them. Also, you would be working directly with Birkin again when he comes through RPD on his monthly visits. The possibilities are endless Albert."

"Indeed." He answered.

"Is this something you would be willing to do?" Mr. Spencer asked.

"Right now," Wesker said. "I'm weighing my options. I have until Friday afternoon to make a decision."

"I'm sure you'll put a lot of thought into your decision." Mr. Spencer said. "I am happy with the results that your current assignment; if you choose to take the chief position, I will more than adequately compensate you financially. Moreover, if you want to make this transition easier, we can have Irons eliminated. He has been spending his holiday hunting wild animals in the jungle or frequenting brothels that feature extremely underaged girls. These brothels aren't exactly in the nicest areas of town. Given these circumstances, it would be comically easy to take him out."

"Thank you for the offer Mr. Spencer." Albert said graciously. "But I am still in the beginnings of my decision-making process."

"Well, should you choose to take the position, this option is always open to you Albert." Spencer said. "Nevertheless, I leave this decision in your capable hands."

"Thank you, Mr. Spencer." Wesker said.

"Please keep me informed no matter what you have decided."

"I most certainly will, Mr. Spencer." Wesker said.

With that Mr. Spencer, bade him goodbye and Wesker continued on with his day.

It was 4:30 AM Friday when Wesker's alarm sounded for him to begin his day. Opening his dual colored eyes, Albert rolled over and turned off the alarm. Looking out the window he stared blankly off into the early morning darkness. The last two days had gone by in a blur. Nothing of significance had occurred in those two days, but Wesker found himself extremely busy. With the department finally at easy with his leadership style, everyone came to Wesker for advice. He was happy to assist the department in any way he could, but it did become rather tiresome.

With it being the end of the week, today was going to be very busy as well. He had to meet with the departments that traditionally met with Irons once a week. Then he offered to assist with part of the Alpha Team's training in the early in afternoon. However, the part of the day he was still unsure of was his scheduled meeting with FOP President at 4:00.

In the two days since he was informed about the FOP's intentions, he mulled it over, weighing all the options very carefully. On the one hand he would have control over the entire police department and all their cases. He would be the most powerful police officer in Raccoon City. Moreover, he would strengthen his connections in the city government, as well as make new connections in the state government. And of course, Mr. Spencer would pay him handsomely for his efforts. However, once Irons discovered he was voted out, he would more than likely be out for blood and that may be more annoyance than it was worth.

Taunting Irons about taking his job would be highly amusing. It would be comical to witness the disillusionment the chief would feel from losing his only source of power. Knowing how badly the chief behaved like an overindulged petulant child, he would probably stamp his feet and rave like a lunatic once he found out. Was his amusement worth the exasperation that would follow? Then again, there was always Spencer's plan, which was to kill Irons; that was something from which he could also derive a great deal of amusement from. At least with Irons dead, he wouldn't be mildly annoyed by his inane threats and petulant attitude. But realistically, Brian Irons was the very least of his vexations.

All fantasies aside, it was time for Albert to be honest with himself. It wasn't Irons that was causing him to vacillate; it was Spencer. While he did not mind his position in S.T.A.R.S., he was still no closer to his original objective- figuring out what Mr. Spencer was up to with the Arklay Mountain Facility. In the seven years since leaving Arklay, he had drifted from one assignment to another in the Security and Intelligence Division, yet he learned nothing about the truth regarding that research facility. If anything, accepting the Chief position would place him as far off the mark as he could possibly get in regards to that objective and he more than likely would never discover what Spencer was plotting.

It would probably serve his interests best, if he kept things simple. Besides, knowing how uncontrolled and unhinged Irons was, another opportunity would inevitably present itself at some point. And if at that time he felt it necessary, he would pounce on the opportunity. Albert sighed with relief. It felt good to finally come to the right decision. There were a lot of people who were going to be disappointed in his choice, but they would survive. In the end, he knew he had to do what was best for his objectives. Comfortable with his decision, he decided it was time to get out of bed and face his long day head on.

As expected, the day went by in a flurry. The departmental meetings went faster than he had anticipated, now that everyone was more comfortable with how he conducted the meetings. With the departmental consultations finished earlier than expected, he conducted the training with the rest of the Alpha team as scheduled. Surprisingly, it felt good to be involved in training again, he couldn't believe that he missed training. Because he felt somewhat out of practice conducting the daily trainings, he may have been a little overenthusiastic with the Alpha team. He practically ran them ragged, but they all did surprisingly well in keeping up with his demands. Once the days training was over, he had them go and hit the showers, however he requested Jill to attend the meeting with the union President.

"Are you sure you want me there Wesker?" Jill asked.

"Quite sure." He replied sternly. "Besides you were there when he originally asked me, so I figured you would want to hear my decision first hand."

"Sure Wesker." She said sounding surprised that he asked her to attend. "Could I have 15 minutes to get cleaned up?"

"Of course." He said. "I'll meet you by the press conference room in twenty minutes."

Captain Wesker waited patiently for Jill to arrive which she did and together they quietly walked down the hall to the FOP office. Captain Wesker knocked on the door and was told to enter by Officer Griffin. Turning the knob and walking through the door Captain Wesker and Jill walked in.

"Ah Captain Wesker!" Daniel said cheerfully. "And your brought Officer Valentine with you."

"I hope you don't mind?" Wesker asked.

"No." He said sitting down at his desk. "Not at all, please, youse guys pull up a seat."

Both Jill and Captain Wesker sat down in front of Daniel.

"Now before you say anything," Daniel started. "I have to tell you, when I first heard about this S.T.A.R.S. Unit, I was a bit nervous. Youse guys are pretty much a private police force operating under the Raccoon City Police Department. I thought youse were going to be some renegade squad runnin' rip shot over us. I further got worried cause youse guys weren't going to be part of the union. I thought this would be a way to push us regular cops out of the way so they could have non-unionized police force. But to your credit Captain Wesker, you had all the S.T.A.R.S. join the union."

"I felt it was important for the S.T.A.R.S. to be apart of the union." Captain Wesker said. "We may not be a traditional police unit, but we wanted to show solidarity with our fellow officers."

"That's really nice." Daniel said softly. "Thank you Captain Wesker."

"You're welcome." He answered back.

"So now that we've buttered each other up," Daniel said cheerfully. "What's the good word Captain Wesker?"

"I've given this a great deal of thought over the last two days." Wesker said.

"I'm sure you have." Daniel said retaining his cheerful tone.

"I have weighed my options very carefully." He continued.

"Good." Daniel said. "And you've decided?"

"I've decided to turn you down." Captain Wesker said sternly.

Jill looked at Wesker shocked and poor Daniel looked like he had just been punched in the face.

"Ya breakin' my heart Captain Wesker." Daniel said sounding completely disillusioned.

"That was not my intention." Wesker replied.

"Did you know about this Officer Valentine?" Daniel asked her.

"N-no!" She answered sounding just as shocked as Daniel. "I thought for sure you would take it Captain Wesker."

"There is a part of me that sincerely wanted to." He said. "But I'm inclined to believe that my switching rolls would cause more problems than it would solve. I am a firm believer in keeping one's friends close…"

"And one's enemies closer." Daniel finished his sentence.

"Exactly." Captain Wesker added.

"But you would have the full backing of the fraternal order." Daniel said. "With us behind you, you'd be untouchable."

"I understand that." Wesker said softly. "And I truly appreciate it, but I know the kind of person we're dealing with. They don't have what I would call an adult temperament and I'm certain they wouldn't let this go quietly. I'm quite certain there would be a lengthy court battle involved and I wouldn't want to start my new career path with a lawsuit hanging over the department."

"Is there anything I can say to change your mind Captain Wesker?" Daniel pleaded. "Anything at all?"

"I'm sorry, but I have made up my mind." Captain Wesker said sternly.

"Well, I don't like your decision, but I respect your reasons behind it." Daniel sighed and said, "Damn, I was really hoping to have you sworn in by the time you left tonight."

"I'm truly sorry." Wesker apologized. "But I am always at the FOP's disposal, should you need me."

"Not the offer I was hoping for, but I guess I'll have to take it." He said resigning himself to Wesker's decision. "Man, they guys are gonna be really disappointed. Everyone was looking forward to a better RPD."

"I know." He said. "But I am actually thinking of the department."

"I know you are Captain Wesker." Daniel answered. "That's why I respect your decision, I'm just not happy about it."

Captain Wesker said nothing.

"Ah well…" He said. "I guess we'll be having a wake next Friday at Jack's. Tell you what."

"Hm?" Wesker questioned.

"Next Friday, before the chief gets back, come hangout with the FOP." Daniel said. "Let us buy youse a drink or two."

"You don't have to go through that much trouble." Captain Wesker said.

"It's no trouble at all!" He said. "Next Friday come to Jack's at 10 PM. The FOP is buyin'! Officer Valentine youse and the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. are welcome too!"

"Thank you." Jill said kindly.

With that Captain Wesker stood up and said, "I thank you for the generous offer, I'm just sorry it didn't work out at this time."

"Yeah." Daniel said shaking Wesker's hand. "Maybe another time."

"Maybe." Wesker said.

With Captain Wesker began to make his way back to the S.T.A.R.S. office with Jill following next to him.

"I'm really surprised you didn't take the Chief job Wesker." Jill said.

"To be honest with you Jill, so am I." Wesker said candidly. "But I meant it when I said I believe Irons would be a problem if the union voted him out. Some things are best left alone. Besides, there may be another opportunity in the future."

"Can I be honest with you Wesker?" Jill asked.

"Of course." He answered.

"I'm glad you didn't take the job." She said. "It was great having you back in charge today."

"Really?" He said sounding genuinely surprised by her statement.

"Don't get me wrong, Barry is really good leading us when you're not around." She said. "But you are a really inspiring leader. There's just something about you that makes me want to work harder and accomplish more. I don't think anyone else would have that effect on me and I don't think I'm alone in feeling that way either."

"You didn't mind that I was a bit rough with the Alpha team today?" He questioned.

"Honestly we needed it." Jill admitted. "I feel like we've been coasting over the last two weeks. Having you be tough on us was the push I think we needed and missed."

"Well thank you for your honesty Jill." He said graciously. "I actually missed it as well."

The final week that Captain Wesker was in charge of RPD went the fastest. While he was pleased that everything had proceeded without incident and that he had earned the respect of the entire Raccoon City Police force, he was happy to get back to a bit of normalcy. Having taken the last three Mondays away from his duties with Umbrella left him feeling a bit empty and it would be good to step back into that role. However, this particular Monday, he was going to conduct his Umbrella business from home. Being proxy Chief was a bit more taxing than he realized and he wanted to take a day to recover and work at a less frenetic pace.

Albert was grateful he didn't have to go into RPD headquarters today. When he left last night there was such an air of gloom in anticipation of Irons return today. It was pretty depressing. Almost like those three glorious weeks he was gone never happened. Yesterday was hard on everyone and it made him nearly regret not taking the position. But Albert was still resolute in his decision, so there would be no time for regrets. Staying focused on his end goals, that was what was truly important.

Since he didn't have to leave home today, Albert took time to workout for a long period of time. When he took over for Irons, he didn't have time to go for his early morning run up and down the nature trail behind his house, so this morning he relished his run. He also swam multiple laps in his indoor pool and lifted weights. When his exercises were complete he went out to a local restaurant for breakfast and returned completely ready to tackle his Umbrella duties, with the first being a call to Spencer.

This was the first time he had spoken to Spencer since informing him of the police union's intention to vote Irons out; today would be the day Spencer found out Albert didn't take the position. Naturally when he told Spencer, he was disappointed. However, he reiterated the same things he told the FOP president, however Albert added that it would be best if Irons were to remain in charge, because he had such a sordid background that he would make a perfect scapegoat for Umbrella should anything go sideways. While disappointed, Spencer agreed with Albert's assessment.

When the teleconference with Spencer was over, Albert went to his computer to check his email. Amongst all the updates from his Umbrella colleagues, he saw a message from Chief Irons demanding that he come in and brief him on what occurred while he was away. Albert, just did not respond to the message and deleted it. He had no intentions of going into RPD today and he was vacillating on not coming in tomorrow either. He had more than enough vacation days and sick time saved up that taking one extra day wouldn't matter.

While he was responding to his email messages his cell phone began to ring.

"Albert speaking." He said answering while he still responded to his message.

"Did you not see my email about coming in Wesker!?" Chief Irons yelled.

"I would have thought my non-response would have made it clear to someone limited mental faculties such as yourself, that I had no intentions of coming to headquarters today." Albert said calmly.

"I told you to come in Wesker!" Irons demanded. "I want a detailed verbal report from you!"

"Again." Albert said calmly. "I will not be in today, nor shall I be in tomorrow. All you need to know is in the report I left on your desk. If that is not sufficient, when I return on Wednesday I can present my report to you in the form of stick figure drawings; perhaps then the information will seep through to your Neanderthal brain."

"I hate you Wesker!" Irons spat bitterly.

"I am aware." Albert said calmly. "By the way, I heard you spent the majority of your vacation murdering animals and sexually assaulting children. When do you possibly find time to sleep or stuff that grubby face of yours?"

"Wesker…" The Chief growled.

"I will see you Wednesday Brian." Albert said snidely. "Welcome back."

With that Albert hung up the phone and went back to quietly working. While it would have been nice to take the chief's position out from under him, there was something a little more gratifying about tormenting him this way. After all, Captain Wesker is a constant reminder that he is not powerful as he thinks and that feeling of superiority over Chief Irons was absolutely perfect.


End file.
